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National Eye Institute study suggests that eating more omega-3s could cut the risk of macular degeneration by one-thirdby Craig Weatherby

New findings from the US National Eye Institute suggest that diets rich in omega-3s may slash the risk of the leading cause of age-related blindness by about one-third.

Age-related macular degeneration or AMD eventually leaves a blurry spot in the center of your field of vision. In America and the Western world, AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness among people over 55 years of age.

The macula is a yellow spot near the center of the retina. It’s needed for detailed vision, and also absorbs excess light to protect against UV damage.

There are two types of AMD—wet and dry.

Wet AMD occurs when blood vessels grow excessively beneath the macula… the blood vessels eventually leaks and the macular is scarred, obscuring vision.

Dry AMD occurs when normal tissue in the macula slowly disappears. This results in a pale area of the macular.

Some 25 to 30 million people worldwide are affected by AMD, and those numbers are expected to triple by 2025 as the baby boom generation ages.

Omega-3 fatty acids, and particularly DHA, play a crucial role in the health and functioning of nerve cells in the retina.

And a mouse study funded in part by the National Eye Institute found lower levels of pro-inflammatory immune system molecules and higher levels of anti-inflammatory molecules in the eyes of mice fed omega-3s (See “Omega-3s' Eye-Guarding Effects Affirmed”).

The study authors examined a sub-section of people participating in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), all of whom were considered at a moderate-to-high risk of advanced AMD. They estimated the subjects' omega-3 intakes using a diet questionnaire.

After following them for 12 years, the researchers found that the participants with the highest estimated omega-3 intakes had a 30 percent lower risk of developing either type of AMD, compared to the people with the lowest omega-3 intakes.

These findings bolster conclusions and recommendations published last summer by researchers from the USDA's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (Chiu CJ et al. 2009):